Composition for impregnating and preserving wood



Patented Au .2i, 1923.

HNETED STATEE LOUIS GOHMERT, OF CUERO, TEXAS.

COMPOSITION FOR IMPREGNATING AND PRESER'VING WOOD.

K0 Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS GOHMERT, a citizen of the United States, .residing at Cuero, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compositions for Impregnating and Preserving Wood, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a novel composition for impregnating wood for the purpose of preserving the same, and comprises a composition which can be used for preserving various kinds of wood such as telegraph poles, railway ties, mine timbers and the like, and contains the sodium compound of dinitrophenol together with sodium phenol sulfonate and a soluble fluoride. The use of the other constituents prevents any possibility of explosion of the sodium dinitrophenolate. I

Dinitro compounds of aromatic bodies have heretofore been suggested for use in preserving wood, but they have not given entirely satisfactory results, due to the great tendency of the materials to explode. Picric acid, of course, would be out of the question since it is too highly explosive. The sodium compound, or other metal salt of dinitrophenol is much less readily explosive than the dinitrophenol itself. The addition of sodium phenol sulfonate greatly reduces the explosive properties of the dinitro compound, and furthermore the phenol sulfonic acid salts have also a strong preservative action. Sodium fluoride, particularly when used in large amounts likewise greatly reduces the explosiveness of the dinitro body and also acts as a powerful preservative, when applied to wood.

The antiseptic properties of the fluoride and metal dinitrophenol have previously been recognized, although they do not appear to have been used in combination, up to the present time.

As regards the salts of the phenol sulfonic acids these have not hitherto been generally recognized as being preservatives. The applicant has discovered that it is not sufficient to impregnate timber with only one impreg nating substance. Wood when used as telegraph poles, railway ties or mine timbers or in other places where it is liable to decay,

is attacked by a large number of different fungi, as well as by a large number of organisms of the animal kingdom, and while certain of these fungi and animal enemies, may

Application filed December 18, 1922. Serial No. 607,725.

be more or less resistant to one or even two 013 the bodies above referred to, none of these enemies can be considered as resistant to all three of them. The salts above referred to, not only preserve the wood against fungi and animal enemies, but also against the spores and mycelium of molds and fungi.

For producing the most effective results,

sodium fluoride is used in the amount of about 70 to 90% of the entire mixture, the sodium compound of dinitrophenol, is used in the amount of 10 to 20% and a sodium salt of phenol sulfonic acid is used in the amount of about 5%. The mixture of three materials is subsequently dissolved in water, producing a substantially saturated solution with which the chamber is impregnated, the usual methods of impregnation being employed, among which may be mentioned the vacuum and pressure process. Sodium fluoride has heretofore been suggested for use alone in the preserving of wood. Among the objections to the use of this material is the important fact that it strongly attacks the iron walls of the wood impregnating cylinder and other apparatus used. If the sodium compound of dinitrophenol is added alone, to the sodium fluoride this action is .not decreased but in fact substantially increased. It is somewhat surprising that the sodium salt of phenol sulfonic acid added in small proportion to the mixture of the said two materials is sufficient to neutralize this effect.

It is to be understood that while I preferably employ the sodium salts, other soluble metal salts can also be used.

I claim:

1. A non-explosive wood preserving agent containing a soluble fluoride, a soluble phenol sulfonate and a soluble salt of dinitrophenol. 4 r

2. A non-explosive wood reserving compound containing sodium uoride, sodium phenol sulfonate and sodium dinitrophenolate.

3. The herein described wood preserving compound containing 70 to 90% of sodium fluoride, 10 to 20% of sodium dinitrophenolate, and about 5% of sodium phenol sulfonate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

LOUIS 'GOHMERT 

